cryptogon.com

3/26/2005

From Hero to Homeless :.

Wave your flag and stick another Jesus fish on the ass end of your SUV:

For 25-year-old Herold Noel, this winter, like the war, has not been kind, reports CBS News Correspondent Byron Pitts.

When "Iraqi Freedom" began, Private First Class Herold Noel was a soldier in the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, pounding a path into Baghdad.

"I fought for this country," he said. "I shed blood for this country. I watched friends die."

And like so many, Herold Noel came home a hero, but he wound up homeless.

He started living out of the back of his jeep when most of his clothes and all of his military medals were stolen at a homeless shelter.

posted by Kevin at 3:33 PM

Microsoft Will Release Longhorn to Manufacturing in May 2006 :.

Make your time:

While internal discussions at Microsoft recently questioned whether August 2006 would be more viable, the word has come down from on high: May 2006 is non-negotiable. Longhorn will be released to manufacturing in May 2006, according to senior Microsoft executives, though other interim dates could change.

posted by Kevin at 3:28 PM

Hybrid Vehicle Hacking :.

There's one problem with hybrid vehicles: They require internal combustion engines. This fact doesn't go unnoticed by many of the people who purchase hybrid vehicles. Since major auto companies refuse to manufacture electric vehicles, individuals are trying to restore and improve the capabilities of the intentionally crippled hybrids that are available to us.

The work done by calcars.org and Energy CS is proof (to me) that the inexcusable state of vehicle efficiency is pre-meditated, on-purpose, by-design and done-with-forethought and malice.

How else do you explain the fact that a few people with cordless tools and off the shelf batteries increased the mileage of a 2004 Toyota Hybrid vehicle up to 180MPG? Yes, they plug the thing into grid power to top off the batteries. While most people wouldn't use clean power to charge their cars, at least doing so would be an option. Why isn't the plug-in option standard on these vehicles? Why is the battery capacity limited on these vehicles? Why is the electric-only option disabled on American models; requiring end user modifications to restore?

Read the full story about the Cal Cars antics. Prius hybrids are being crippled at the factory! God bless the freaks for attempting to make lemonade out of Toyota's lemons! (I'm a lifetime Toyota driver, and this business with the Prius is shamefull. Wake up, TOYOTA!)

From the Christian Science Monitor:

Not long after Dan Kroushl got his new 2004 Toyota Prius, he began to wonder about the mysterious button on the dash. It didn't seem to have any function. Didn't boost the turbo or engage an ejector seat. In online discussions with other Prius enthusiasts, Mr. Kroushl soon discovered the button did have a hidden function: It could turn the gasoline-electric hybrid into an all-electric car - for a mile or so on limited battery power.

This "stealth mode" button works fine in Japan and Europe where it's handy for drivers to roll politely about densely packed subdivisions in the early morning and late evening. But the button has been disconnected for North America's Priuses.

Now, scores of Prius owners in the United States are activating the button on their own - despite company warnings that altering the car will void its warranty.

Some drivers, including Kroushl, are going even further: adding battery capacity - and a plug. The hoped for result: a high-tech commuting car that plugs into a socket at night and gets amazing gas mileage the next day.

In effect, these backyard mechanics have turned the hybrid car's appeal on its head. Instead of emphasizing gasoline over electric power and the convenience of today's cars, they're aiming to create less polluting higher-mileage vehicles that emphasize electricity over gasoline - even if it's a bit less convenient.

"One guy I know plugs his Honda hybrid into a windmill for power," Kroushl says. "It costs him practically nothing to drive."

posted by Kevin at 2:07 PM

Limu Update: My Sister

My sister has been suffering from severe eczema on her hands and feet for the last few years. She reluctantly uses the dermatologist prescribed cortisone drugs only when the situation becomes unbearable.

She's been taking between four and six ounces of Limu per day for the last two weeks. I just saw her tonight.

"I don't believe it, but it's clearing up on my hands. Look!" She showed me the affected areas. "This had been flaring up for six months," she said. Indeed, it was nearly gone. The eczema is still present on her feet, but she's encouraged by the results so far. She has yet to use it topically (which I suggest), in addition to taking it internally. She's going to start doing that.

You can read about how Limu helped my eczema here.

Also, her roommate's elderly dog is taking large quantities of Limu. The Limu is helping the beast's terrible digestive issues. The dog loves the Limu and now expects it as part of its daily feeding ritual. This is a common with dogs, in my experience.

posted by Kevin at 2:04 PM

3/25/2005

Acetone in Acura Integra '92 Fuel Drops Mileage by 1.1% :.

Sterling Allan's first attempt to confirm the acetone-gas mixture theory failed. He says that he may have somehow run it too rich. I'll be running my own tests soon. Try it yourself and let me know how it goes:

After having published the story about the claim by Louis LaPointe that acetone added in small quantities to fuel increases mileage from between 15 to 35 percent, I set out Thursday morning to prove this for myself.

Eight hours later (including prep time, etc), with 400 miles logged accurately from four round trips of about 100 miles each, I came away with a result of a slight drop in my mileage from 33.49 mpg down to 33.13 mpg, using a mixture ratio of about 3.4 oz of acetone per 10 gallons of gas.

posted by Kevin at 9:33 PM

.Mil Interested In Acetone-Gas Mixture

The U.S. Special Operations Command user (host: wsa92.socom.mil, ip: 209.22.222.92) conducted the following Google search: acetone gas mileage.

The U.S. Army user (host: net-1645-cache.sill.army.mil, ip: 155.219.241.12) conducted the following Google search: acetone in fuel efficiency.

Related: Acetone In Fuel Said to Increase Mileage 15-35%

posted by Kevin at 4:47 PM

3/24/2005

Remaining EV-1 Electric Cars Destroyed in Arizona :.

Hybrids are fine. They require gas:

A revolutionary attempt to bring electric automobiles to American drivers sputters to a halt this week in the Arizona desert.

But not without cries of protest.

General Motors is shipping the last surviving EV1 cars, the automaker's unique experiment in battery-powered transportation, from a storage yard in Burbank, Calif., to the GM Desert Proving Grounds in Mesa for "final disposition," which for most of them means crushing and recycling.

posted by Kevin at 6:39 PM

U.S. Companies Are Shifting More of Their Costs to Consumers :.

* yawn * Is it down yet?

Until recently, most companies operating in the U.S. market were forced to absorb the higher costs of basic expenses like employee health care, raw materials and energy, focusing instead on squeezing more efficiencies from their workers and machines.

But now, from airlines to manufacturers of advanced plastics, many businesses are overcoming their fear of losing customers and are starting to pass on cost increases to their customers.

posted by Kevin at 4:20 PM

Diving Into Falluja :.

The men-in-black might look like bums:

The only thing missing, Manning said, was the big bowling-ball shaped bag containing his camera — and all his taped interviews.

At that time, Manning had not been back in the United States for more than 10 hours.

The next day, Manning said, a mysterious man contacted them to arrange a meeting, claiming he had the stolen purse. Manning and Kalustian went to a spot near 6th and Mission as instructed, where they were met by a man who appeared to be a "full-on street bum," Manning said. After returning the purse, the man pulled Manning to one side, opened his wallet, and flashed what Manning estimated was $5,000 worth of $100 bills. According to Manning, the "bum" winked at him and said, "Look in my eyes. I have the eyes of a former sniper. You thought you had the goods on George Bush, didn't you? You've been sandbagged, boy."

posted by Kevin at 4:07 PM

Court Prevents Release of Most September 11 Emergency Calls :.

Can you imagine the types of things those calls might contain? Things that CAN'T exist. Perhaps audio signitures of THINGS that DIDN'T happen. COULDN'T have happened:

The emergency phone calls made by people trapped inside the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, need not be released to the public, a New York court ruled Thursday.

The New York State Court of Appeals declined to grant the wish of September 11 families who joined in a lawsuit seeking release of all tapes and transcripts of calls made from inside the Twin Towers to 9-1-1 operators.

"We are not persuaded that such disclosure is required by the public interest," the judges said in their ruling.

Related: F.A.A. Official Scrapped Tape of 9/11 Controllers' Statements

posted by Kevin at 3:07 PM

CIA Uses Boston Red Sox Jet for Torture Flights :.

Man, this is getting weirder by the minute. It is extremely rare to encounter this level of detail on the cut outs while the ops are still active.

The Scotland connection may be worth noting, for some researchers. From the article:

Morse recalled occasions when his own plane was not available to him because it was being used by the government, one being while he was playing golf in Scotland.

Take a close look at this picture from my post entitled, The Torture Express: CIA Cut Out Operation Busted. Specifically, pay close attention to where that image was taken. Morse was playing golf in Scotland and couldn't fly on his own plane because it was being used by the CIA. The CIA also happens to move/tranship their victims through Glasgow/Preswick. That's in Scotland, for all you gringos out there. Yes, dear reader, scratch your chin, sip your warm beverage and say, "Hmmmmm..."

Of course, this is all a coincidence.

I like the references to George Bush Senior personally riding on one of the torture planes, the medical technology that has kept Cheney alive, dodgy PHBs flying around the Bahamas, covert operations... Yep. Before you go accusing me of being insane for making all of this up, I suggest you read the full text from the Boston Globe article below:

CIA uses jet, Red Sox partner confirms
'Stunned' by report of controversial prisoner transfers

By Gordon Edes, Globe Staff | March 21, 2005

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Phillip H. Morse, a minority partner of the Boston Red Sox, confirmed yesterday that his private jet has been chartered to the CIA and said he was aware that it had been flown to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where more than 500 terrorism suspects are held, as well as other overseas destinations.

"It's chartered a lot," Morse said by phone from his winter home in Jupiter, Fla. "It just so happens one of our customers is the CIA.

"I was glad to have the business, actually. I hope it was all for a real good purpose."

Morse, vice chairman of the Red Sox, has twice lent his plane to the team -- in 2003 to fly an injured Johnny Damon from Oakland, Calif., to Boston, and last spring to fly manager Terry Francona to his son's high school graduation.

But Morse said he was "stunned" by a published report suggesting that the plane might have been used for special renditions, the controversial practice in which terrorism suspects arrested abroad have been forcibly returned to their native countries for interrogation, sometimes with methods that are barred by US law.

Between June 2002 and January of this year, the plane has flown to Afghanistan, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, and the Czech Republic, and made 82 visits to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, according to the Chicago Tribune, which cited records from the Federal Aviation Administration.

"I don't know how you would confirm it," Morse said. "To me, it's stunning that they would link that stuff together. I called [Red Sox CEO] Larry [Lucchino] to let him know. I didn't want him to get broadsided. I'm a little bit embarrassed the Red Sox are linked to this, for no reason whatsoever."

Morse, who made a fortune developing cardiac catheters, is the owner of a Gulfstream IV jet, which he said he purchased from El Paso Gas and Electric. The plane is owned by Assembly Pointe Aviation Inc., according to records from the FAA. Morse is the sole officer of Assembly Pointe Aviation.

The plane's charter agent is Richmor Aviation in Hudson, N.Y. Mahlon Richards, a co-owner of Richmor Aviation, said he believes Morse's plane was used to transport only federal workers and said his company had no information that it was ever used to US transport detainees.

The Gulfstream, which is based in Schenectady, N.Y., rents for $5,365 an hour, which works out to $128,760 for a 24-hour day or a little more than $900,000 a week.

The jet sometimes has a small Red Sox logo on the fuselage near the door. The jet's registration number, N85VM, was changed to N227SV, but Morse said there was "nothing devious or clandestine" about the change. He said the original number was not changed when he bought the plane from El Paso Gas and Electric.

"When it's chartered, it never has the logo of the Red Sox on it," Morse said. "They cover it up."

The Chicago Tribune, citing FAA records, reported that the jet was in Cairo on Feb. 18, 2003, shortly after an Islamic cleric disappeared from his home in Milan in a case Italian prosecutors are investigating as a kidnapping.

Morse said yesterday that Richmor has been leasing his plane to the CIA for more than three years.

"They're not dealing directly with the CIA but with an intermediary government agency, more like a travel agency for government business," he said.

Morse recalled occasions when his own plane was not available to him because it was being used by the government, one being while he was playing golf in Scotland. Richmor is charter agent for more than 100 private jets, he said. Morse recently returned from the Cayman Islands on a private jet owned by Fred Wilpon, owner of the New York Mets.

After yesterday's reports in the Globe and Tribune, the Red Sox released a statement saying the team was "unaware of and uninvolved in any activities undertaken by any of the club's limited partners in relation to the leasing of their private airplanes."

The New York Times reported last month that days after Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush authorized the CIA to transfer terrorist suspects to other countries through special renditions, without obtaining separate presidential approval in each instance.

Morse said his office gets monthly reports from Richmor on who has leased his jet and where it has gone. He said he does not closely monitor the reports, but said he knew of its overseas destinations, specifically mentioning Guantanamo.

"Oh, sure, I'm going to try to make some inquiries," he said when asked if he intended to look into the possibility his plane had been used in renditions.

"I'll give the company [Richmor] a call. I'm one who believes in the good of most things. I assumed what they were doing was in the best interests of national security. I hope what they're doing is valuable and necessary."

Asked if he would stop allowing the CIA to use his plane if he determines it has been involved in renditions, Morse said: "Sure, sure, but . . . I don't know how you go about checking that."

Morse, who grew up in Danvers, was one of the early investors in the John Henry-Tom Werner-Larry Lucchino ownership group and was named vice chairman of the Red Sox last year. A graduate of the University of Maine in 1964, Morse took a position with Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. after graduation. In 1969, he founded North American Instrument Corp., which developed the first transparent fluid delivery system for coronary angiography, the Morse manifold.

According to his biography in the Sox media guide, the Morse manifold continues to be used in more than 70 percent of all cardiac catheterization procedures. By 1994, the firm had grown into NAMIC USA Corp. After retiring from NAMIC in 1995, he founded Heritage Creations Inc., which provides services and products to golf clubs and resorts worldwide.

The Morses have a winter home in Jupiter and also spend time in Boston and Lake George, N.Y.

Three years ago, Morse met George H.W. Bush and has had him on his plane a few times, once to take him to baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. But Morse stressed that the CIA already was leasing his plane to the government before he met Bush, a former CIA director.

Morse said Bush had no knowledge of the CIA charter arrangements.

posted by Kevin at 2:10 PM

School Shooter Was on Prozac :.

Read about Jeff Weise. Was he altered?

"He didn't function academically. He just sat there and drew pictures of army people with guns," she said. "He was a talented artist, but he drew terrible, terrible scenes."

Does any of this sound familiar:

Even the manufacturer admits that Prozac can cause agitation, hostility, psychosis, and other frightening side effects including a little-known side effect called "akathisia."

The manufacturer's warning for Prozac states under Adverse Reactions:

"Nervous System - frequent: abnormal dreams and agitation; - infrequent: abnormal gait, acute brain syndrome, akathisia, amnesia, apathy, ... delusions, depersonalization, euphoria, hallucinations, hostility, ... manic reaction, paranoid reaction, psychosis, and vertigo; rare: abnormal electroencephalogram, anti-social reaction, chronic brain syndrome .... hysteria..."

According to the medical literature, the side effect of "akathisia" is a drug-induced insanity with bizarre and frightening characteristics including hallucinations, aggression, self-destructive outbursts, terror, anger, hostility, hatred, and rage. (Ref: Theodore Van Putten, "The Many Faces of Akathisia.", Comprehensive Psychiatry, Volume 16, No. 1, January/February, 1975.)

Anyone who is taking Prozac needs to be informed that aggression and violence are possible results of using the drug. Persons on the drug can begin experiencing increased hostility toward people around them, and can even physically attack others, and might come to think that they are going insane, or their marriage has "gone bad" or any of a hundred other false reasons.

Extreme psychotic rampages of violence are even possible on this drug.

posted by Kevin at 1:48 PM

Internet Security Systems: "Capitalistic Police" :.

The other day, I made a reference to a television commercial where a hacker says, "This is where capitalism meets my delete key." I managed to track that commercial down. Get ready to laugh your ass off.

"Payback," featuring a disgruntled PHB, is excellent as well.

posted by Kevin at 1:22 PM

The Race to the Bottom Meets German Efficiency :.

A new German employment site shows just how bad the country's job market has become.

JobDumping.de is like no other career portal. Employers still list jobs, but prospective workers log on and bid -- downward.

Want a job as a cleaner? Log on and offer to do the work for 10 euros an hour. If someone else bids 8 euros per hour, they get the job. Would-be workers engage in a race to the bottom, continually lowering the ante to get the job.

posted by Kevin at 12:58 PM

3/23/2005

14 Confirmed Dead in Texas City Plant Explosion :.

Emergency crews were still digging through the rubble at a Texas City Refinery Wednesday night. Authorities confirm that 14 people were killed in an explosion at the BP Amoco refinery in Texas City Wednesday afternoon. That plant is located about 35 miles south of Houston.

Rescue crews say they've moved from a search and rescue to a search and recovery effort. As we said, 14 people were killed and another 70 were injured in the blast. Emergency crews were called in from several surrounding areas, including Southeast Texas.

British Petroleum's Texas City Refinery contains 30-units and sits on 12-hundred acres just south of Houston.

It is considered the world's most complex refinery because of its ability to upgrade oil into usable products.

The Texas City refinery receives 460 thousand barrels of oil per day through pipelines and ships.

The plant also produces 3-percent of the nation's entire fuel supply.

No word on how Wednesday's explosion will affect gas prices.

posted by Kevin at 9:19 PM

Acetone In Fuel Said to Increase Mileage 15-35% :.

Cryptogon reader JG personally runs the acetone-gas mixture in his car. He writes, "I have tried the acetone and it defiantly works as stated." [sic] Nice work:

Acetone (CH3COCH3), also called dimethylketone or propanone, is a product that can be purchased inexpensively in most locations around the world, such as in the common hardware store. Added to the fuel tank in tiny amounts, acetone aids in the vaporization of the gasoline or diesel, increasing fuel efficiency, engine longevity, and performance -- as well as reducing hydrocarbon emissions.

posted by Kevin at 5:05 PM

Nerd Antics: Solar Death Ray :.

If this guy can melt rubber duckies with this thing, what's to keep people from building DIY solar hot water based on this? Maybe run a few of them together with some kind of heliostat rig... 1500 watts out of that thing in the form of heat is pretty damn impressive.

Yes, I know about the real-deal applications of this technology. Of course, there's nothing new under the sun. But The Solar Death Ray interests me because it was built by one bored freak, not a group of "experts." Keep it in mind as the show comes down.

posted by Kevin at 4:08 PM

Binladen Group Wins Airport Contracts Financed by the World Bank :.

Do you get it yet?

The Saudi Binladen Group has won the contracts to implement two airport projects in Egypt and Yemen financed by the World Bank, Al-Eqtisadiah business daily reported yesterday.

The group, whose chairman is Bakr Binladen, will construct a new passenger lounge for the airport in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. In addition to the 44,000-sq.m. lounge, the project includes an air traffic observation building and other related facilities.

posted by Kevin at 3:23 PM

GOP Adviser Died of Overdose :.

Family values über alles, or something else? If anyone is doing any work on linking Stevens to you-know-what, let me know:

Republican media adviser R. Gregory Stevens, who was found dead in the Beverly Hills, Calif., home of actress Carrie Fisher on Feb. 26, died of an overdose of cocaine and the painkiller OxyContin, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

A spokeswoman at the coroner's office read to The Washington Times portions of the report, which was completed Friday.

"Cocaine and OxyContin," the spokeswoman said when asked by phone what was the cause of death. When asked specifically whether there was a drug overdose, she said "yes."

posted by Kevin at 2:36 PM

Army Expects to Miss Recruiting Goals for March and April :.

The Army expects to miss its recruiting goals again this month and next, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said Wednesday, and it is developing a new sales pitch that appeals to the patriotism of parents who have been reluctant to steer their children toward the Army.

"There is a forecast that we will not meet the monthly goal" for March and April, Harvey said at his first Pentagon news conference since becoming the Army's top civilian official last November.

In February the Army missed its monthly recruiting goal by 27 percent. That was the first time it had fallen short for any month since May 2000, and it underscored the difficulty the Army faces in signing up young men and women during time of war.

posted by Kevin at 2:28 PM

U.S. Bars Italians from Examining Victim's Car :.

Shocker:

The U.S. military command in Iraq has blocked two Italian policemen from examining the car in which an Italian intelligence agent was shot to death in Baghdad, a newspaper said Wednesday.

Corriere della Sera said that the policemen were about to leave when the Italian Embassy in Baghdad received an order from the U.S. command on Monday to abort the mission for security concerns.

The embassy in Baghdad reportedly alerted Rome authorities, who called off the trip.

The car, a Toyota Corolla, is reportedly still in American hands, at Baghdad airport where it was originally rented.

The Foreign Ministry in Rome declined comment on the report, while officials at the Italian Embassy in Baghdad could not immediately be reached. The U.S. military in Baghdad had no immediate comment.

Italian authorities say that examining the vehicle is key to assessing what happened on March 4, when U.S. troops opened fire on the car carrying secret service agent Nicola Calipari, another intelligence officer and journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who had just been released after a month of captivity in Iraq.

Calipari died on the spot, while the other two were wounded.

posted by Kevin at 1:05 PM

MAJOR EXPLOSION AT BP REFINERY IN TEXAS :.

There's virtually no excess gas in the supply chain. Refining capacity is totally maxed out. There is definite potential for high weirdness over the next few months.

posted by Kevin at 12:23 PM

3/22/2005

Cryptogon Reader Orders Limu

Update: Actually, this isn't a Cryptogon reader. My Dad referred DR. Thanks Dad!

Thanks DR! I hope you like it. I'll send you the instructions for taking it properly tomorrow. If you should happen to get results, and want to order a Three Pack, I'll drive down and lend you a case so you won't run out. When your Three Pack shows up, you can "repay" me by giving me back one of those cases. My brother lives in El Cajon, FYI.

You guys need to remember that buying a single bottle is a bit like rolling the dice. You may get results, or you may not. Some Cryptogon readers want to try the product, but they aren't willing to sign up to get it at wholesale.

Rather than buying one bottle at the insane retail price, you guys should take advantage of my offer to buy up to two of the three cases you get with the Three Pack, if you aren't satisfied for any reason. The Three Pack is the best way to go, by far. Buying one bottle at retail... Well, if it's between not trying the product at all and getting one bottle, I'd rather people try one bottle.

A Note to All of You One Bottle Buyers: That bottle should not last more than two weeks, at the very longest. This would be the minimum dose. For therapeutic use, your bottle should be gone in a week, assuming that just one person is consuming it.

DISCLAIMER

The above material is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Cryptogon is not engaged in rendering medical advice, and any information provided is not a substitute for professional medical opinion.

Original Limu is a food product, not a drug and has not been evaluated by the FDA. Original Limu is not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any illness or disease.

posted by Kevin at 7:50 PM

Inflation Fears Prompt Selloff on Wall Street :.

* yawn * I've only mentioned this a few hundred times:

A warning from the federal Reserve that "inflation has picked up in recent months and pricing power is evident" sent stock prices tumbling Tuesday and pushed interest rates higher.

posted by Kevin at 7:46 PM

Apple iTunes DRM Broken Again :.

It happened less than 24 hours after Apple "fixed" the hole. HAHA! Did you ever see the commercial where the hacker in the bathrobe says, "This is where capitalism meets my delete key"???

Jon Johansen, I salute you:

A group of underground programmers has posted code online they say will reopen a back door in Apple Computer's iTunes store, allowing Linux computer users to purchase music free of copy protection.

The release comes just a day after Apple blocked a previous version of the program, called PyMusique, in part by requiring all iTunes customers to use the latest version of Apple's software.

In a blog posting, Norwegian programmer Jon Johansen, who was previously responsible for releasing software used to copy DVDs online, said he had been successful at reverse engineering the latest iTunes encryption.

Cody Brocious, a Pennsylvania high school student working with Johansen, said they saw the project as "necessary for the Linux community," despite Apple's opposition.

The programmers' work has been one of the most persistent projects targeting Apple, whose iPod and iTunes Music Store have drawn consistent attacks and experiments by people eager to extend the capability of the products, or simply disarm copy protection.

posted by Kevin at 6:31 PM

3/21/2005

Biometric Passports Soon :.

It's official. Your passport is going high-tech.

Biometric passports have made it out of the discussion and testing phase. The State Department's Office of Passport Policy, Planning, and Advisory Services recently announced that it is ready to begin issuing biometric passports.

These passports, which feature an RFID chip, will bring about speedier and more secure entry into and exit from the United States, the government says. However, critics say the technology behind the passports is flawed and puts your personal privacy at stake.

The New National ID

According to the State Department's proposed implementation rule, the agency plans to issue the first passport carrying an RFID chip by mid-2005.

That chip includes all the personal data found on the information page of today's passports. It also contains a biometric component--a digital facial image.

Within a year, all passports issued in the U.S. will feature this technology.

The new passports will comply with requirements set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organization. In 2003 that group adopted a global plan for the implementation of machine-readable passports containing biometric information for its 188 member countries, the United States included.

Research Credit: WB

posted by Kevin at 9:25 PM

WhisperGen Personal Power Station :.

Kiwis just get it.

I was lucky enough to see a hit from them in my access log. This company is doing incredible stuff! While this technology isn't a solution, it might certainly lead to one. At the very least, people with this technology would be able to keep their lights on longer than everyone else, if you know what I mean. If you had a way of making your own biofuel... Yep, you would be pretty much sorted out.

posted by Kevin at 2:01 PM

3/20/2005

Overcaffeinated Wallpaper :.

These are excellent.

Related: Despair.com

posted by Kevin at 4:12 PM

What Price for 'Trusted PC Security'? :.

Lots of people---including me---have been warning about digital rights management and "trusted" computing for years.

As is often the case with "the few" trying to warn "the many" of impending doom, our efforts to raise awareness on this issue have accomplished nothing. The type of hardware that will enable the most frightening "features" of Microsoft's Hellish Longhorn operating system is now shipping from manufacturers. They're not waiting for Microsoft to finish Longhorn.

There's a big difference between seeing a problem on the horizon and talking about it, and seeing a problem on the horizon and taking preemptive action to avert a crisis. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything else to do but talk about it. Obviously, talking about it is a waste of time, because hardly anyone is listening. It's like the people who saw the South Asian Tsunami on the horizon and did nothing to get out of the way. "Yep, that's a big wave... Garçon, another round of drinks, and make it snappy!"

There's a Frommian correlate to this "trusted" computing situation. Humans, in general, can't handle the implications of general purpose computing. Like intellectual, political, economic and spiritual freedom, general purpose computing presents us with a set of responsibilities and challenges that most of us are NOT willing to consider. In the end, we tend to seek order and turn over control to a cop/priest/monarch/warlord/etc. Microsoft's Longhorn is just a 21st Century example of humans willingly locking themselves in prison. The technology improves, but the motivation to escape from freedom remains the same.

You want safety and security? Check your freedom, and your brain, at the door:

If you have recently bought an IBM ThinkVantage computer, a Dell Optiplex, or one of a whole range of laptops from Toshiba, HP/Compaq or Samsung then you may have got more for your money than you realised.

Inside your shiny new PC is an extra chip called the trusted platform module (TPM) that can be used for a range of hardware-based security features.

Eventually the TPM will be built into the main processor itself, and if the trusted computing group has its way then you will find one in every piece of hardware you own, from mobile phones to TV set top boxes to children's toys.

posted by Kevin at 1:18 PM

The Anti-War Institution :.

March, wave your signs, wear your pink tutus. In other words, do nothing.

I promise, Jeff and I don't share the same brain:

If there ever was an anti-war movement, it's long gone. (Suicided?) What's taken its place is an institution of self-actualization. Ineffective as hell, except maybe for transitory catharsis, but at least its obligations are nominal: attend the annual hand-wringing parade, and you've paid the dues for another 12 months. Just enough commitment for the Not-Me Generation of Not in my name.

Protesting the war isn't "mindless," unless it's nothing but an unconsidered reflex. But when it's institutional, it becomes another form of social control. It's a way to let the dissident faction "blow off steam." No harm done to the ruling interests, no change to government policy, and the protesters leave thinking they've made their "voices heard," even though nobody's listening.

Part of the problem, perhaps, is too many people are trying to fight parapolitics with politics. Even after Florida, the Supreme Court, Wellstone, Diebold and Ohio, they don't recognize that, so far as America is concerned, politics is finished. And parapolitical power nodes, which have come well out of the shadows since 2000, are neither accountable to voters, nor terribly responsive to chants of "Hey Hey! Ho Ho!"

posted by Kevin at 9:47 AM

:. Reading

Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture by Andrew Kimbrell Readers will come to see that industrial food production is indeed a "fatal harvest" - fatal to consumers, as pesticide residues and new disease vectors such as E. coli and "mad cow disease" find their way into our food supply; fatal to our landscapes, as chemical runoff from factory farms poison our rivers and groundwater; fatal to genetic diversity, as farmers rely increasingly on high-yield monocultures and genetically engineered crops; and fatal to our farm communities, which are wiped out by huge corporate farms.

Friendly Fascism: The New Face of Power in America by Bertram Myron Gross This is a relatively short but extremely cogent and well-argued treatise on the rise of a form of fascistic thought and social politics in late 20th century America. Author Bertram Gross' thesis is quite straightforward; the power elite that comprises the corporate, governmental and military superstructure of the country is increasingly inclined to employ every element in their formidable arsenal of 'friendly persuasion' to win the hearts and minds of ordinary Americans through what Gross refers to as friendly fascism.

The Good Life
by Scott and Helen Nearing Helen and Scott Nearing are the great-grandparents of the back-to-the-land movement, having abandoned the city in 1932 for a rural life based on self-reliance, good health, and a minimum of cash...Fascinating, timely, and wholly useful, a mix of the Nearings' challenging philosophy and expert counsel on practical skills.

Silent Theft: The Private Plunder of Our Common Wealth by David Bollierd In Silent Theft, David Bollier argues that a great untold story of our time is the staggering privatization and abuse of our common wealth. Corporations are engaged in a relentless plunder of dozens of resources that we collectively own—publicly funded medical breakthroughs, software innovation, the airwaves, the public domain of creative works, and even the DNA of plants, animals and humans. Too often, however, our government turns a blind eye—or sometimes helps give away our assets. Amazingly, the silent theft of our shared wealth has gone largely unnoticed because we have lost our ability to see the commons.

The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-To-Basics Guide by John Seymour The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the only book that teaches all the skills needed to live independently in harmony with the land harnessing natural forms of energy, raising crops and keeping livestock, preserving foodstuffs, making beer and wine, basketry, carpentry, weaving, and much more.

When Corporations Rule the World by David C. Korten When Corporations Rule the World explains how economic globalization has concentrated the power to govern in global corporations and financial markets and detached them from accountability to the human interest. It documents the devastating human and environmental consequences of the successful efforts of these corporations to reconstruct values and institutions everywhere on the planet to serve their own narrow ends.

The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener This expansion of a now-classic guide originally published in 1989 is intended for the serious gardener or small-scale market farmer. It describes practical and sustainable ways of growing superb organic vegetables, with detailed coverage of scale and capital, marketing, livestock, the winter garden, soil fertility, weeds, and many other topics.

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